


The Sound of Silence

by JoMouse



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 13:50:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11945592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: Zayn likes things quiet.





	The Sound of Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this fic idea came to me one morning at work when my coworkers were talking non-stop and driving me crazy. So, to pass the time when the workload permitted, I put in an ear bud and started typing. By the time I was ready for bed that night, I had this fic.
> 
> It's pretty self-indulgent because a lot of the issues Zayn has in the story are issues that I have.
> 
> Hope you still enjoy it.
> 
> Big thanks to Cristina, my beta and friend who read this several times and fixed things. Any other mistakes are all my own.
> 
> Thank you also to Jenn for being a great cheerleader and sounding board.
> 
> Title and song lyrics from ["The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWyzwo1xg0).
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.

Zayn never understood the incessant need to talk just to fill silences. The halls of the school were filled with inane conversations about things that he was convinced no one actually cared about. The classrooms were even worse. He could only hear the same story so many times about how Harry and Louis hooked up over the weekend, but whenever he tried to stop his friend he got the puppy eyes and he felt badly about stomping on his friend’s joy. Eventually, he put in one earbud and tried to lose himself in the music.

It was no better at home, but at least he had a few hours of quiet before all of his sisters arrived home. As soon as the door closed behind the youngest, giggles and chatter about boys drifted through the halls. When he heard the television come on, he thought he would be able to just tune out the low drone of it because his mum was very careful about keeping the volume down. Unfortunately, the television volume was kept down, but there was no remote to control the volume of his sisters. He wasn’t sure how they could possibly even know what they were watching since he didn’t think either one of them had even stopped to take a breath.

When even both of his earbuds couldn’t drown out the noise coming from downstairs, he grabbed his books and shoved them into his rucksack. He hurried down the stairs and waved at his mum who gave him a knowing smile, handing him a couple of pounds for food, before reminding him, quietly, that it was a school night. He nodded before backtracking to give her a quick hug. He ran down the walk and towards the bus stop knowing that the next bus would be pulling up shortly.

He greeted the regular bus driver with a smile, waving his bus pass by the reader and dropping into the seat directly behind the driver even though there were only a couple other people on the bus. Thankfully, they were all absorbed in their own little worlds. He pulled the tattered copy of _The Outsiders_ from his rucksack and opened to a random page; he’d read the book so many times that it didn’t really matter where he started reading. He was in the middle of Ponyboy reading Johnny’s letter and blinking back the tears when he heard it. He felt his spine stiffen as he looked around quickly.

The only thing worse than needless conversation was whistling. He could never put his finger on exactly what it was about whistling that bothered him so much, but he knew that as soon as he heard it, he could feel his anxiety rising notch by notch with each high-pitched note. He spotted the person, a young blond about halfway down the length of the bus, earbuds in, head bouncing with his lips pursed. Zayn gripped his book tightly and looked up to the bus driver’s mirror where he saw the man’s sympathetic expression and three raised fingers.

Three more stops. He could hold out for three more stops. Zayn carefully closed the book, flinching when he saw the new wear marks on the cover where he’d gripped it so tightly. The outside of the book was more tape than anything at this point, but he refused to replace it with the newer edition his family had given him for his birthday the year before. This copy was the one that had belonged to his grandfather and it was given to him when the man had passed away. Once the book was placed carefully inside and the bag zipped shut, Zayn held it close to his chest.

His arms tightened as the boy continued to whistle and Zayn felt himself start to rock a bit when the whistling suddenly cut off. Glancing up, he found the boy staring at him with a sheepish look on his face. He mouthed an apology before clapping his own hand over his mouth. When he dropped the hand, he gave Zayn a small smile that Zayn returned with a grateful one. He recognized the boy now, it was Niall from his Spanish class and as the quiet hum of the engine became the only sound, Zayn felt himself relax.

The bus came to a halt and the driver called out the name of Zayn’s stop. He pushed to his feet and thanked the driver before stepping off the bus, startled when Niall fell into step alongside him. He looked at him out of the corner of his eye and nodded when he pointed to the library. They walked in relative silence, except for the occasional singing Niall did along to whatever he was listening to on his iPod.

Once inside the building, Niall waved and wandered off to the section set up with numerous tables for study groups, joining a group of other kids that Zayn recognized. He could hear their conversation starting and then the shushing sound coming from the librarian just as the door between that section and the main library closed, muffling the sounds completely.

This is why he loved coming to the library.

He walked towards the back and the circular stairway that looked like it belonged in an old romance novel. Slowly, he made his way to the top, counting the steps beneath his feet so he wouldn’t have to look down and see the floor growing further away through the iron grating. Once he reached fifteen steps, he felt the change in the floor beneath his feet and let out a sigh. The librarian behind the reference desk looked up with a smile and waved. He wiggled his fingers in a greeting as he walked past her towards the study carrels, happy to see they were mostly empty.

Moving quickly, he claimed the double sized one near the back, dropping his rucksack into one chair before sliding into the other. He would move if a pair of people needed the space, but he liked having the extra room. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his history textbook and his laptop. Setting up quickly, he started working on the paper that was due the following week, hoping to get through it quickly so that he wouldn’t have to worry about it over the weekend.

He’d been working for quite awhile, managing to get the entire outline completed and the first few paragraphs done when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw a guy around his age staring at the chair holding Zayn’s bag. The guy had his own bag over his shoulder, both hands gripping the strap tightly. When he realized that Zayn was looking at him, he gave a shy smile before biting his lower lip. The boy’s lips moved, drawing his attention, but Zayn couldn’t hear what was being said over the music in his ears. Tugging his earbuds out quickly, he blinked at the kid before clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, what?”

The boy glanced around the library, Zayn followed his gaze, realizing that the reference section had filled up quickly; in fact, the only available chair was the one currently holding Zayn’s bag. “Can I sit here?” He glanced away again, his cheeks flushing a shy pink colour that almost matched his lips. “I know you don’t like people other than Harry and, possibly, Louis, but it's really-”

Zayn held up a hand, cutting the rambling off. He squinted at the boy again as he moved his bag and shoved the chair backward with a nod of his head to the seat. “Do I know you?”

“M’Liam,” he said as he slid into the seat and reached into his bag, pulling out a notebook and pen, along with the same history text that Zayn had open next to himself. “I’m in your history class.” Zayn closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind on the classroom and picturing the rows of classmates before his eyes widened. “New kid.”

“I’m Zayn,” he said, holding a hand out, smiling when the boy’s warm hand engulfed his. When their grip broke, Liam immediately turned to focus on his work, his eyebrows furrowing as his eyes scanned the text. “It’s not that I don’t like people,” he blurted out after the silence went on, chuckling when Liam jumped.

“You never talk to anyone. If you didn’t answer questions in class sometimes, I’d have thought you were mute,” Liam told him, looking up and making eye contact.

Zayn closed his eyes for a minute, trying to find the words to explain to Liam the reason behind how he behaved. “I don’t like noise,” he finally said, opening his eyes as Liam tilted his head. “Constant noise with no substance.”

“Babbling,” Liam said with a decisive nod. “Which is what I was doing earlier. Sorry.”

Zayn shook his head. “It’s alright, you didn’t know.”

“I do now.” He looked at Zayn and then down to his notebook again.

Zayn waited for him to say something else, but Liam continued to scribble in his notebook, going back and forth between his text and the notebook. After several moments of staring, Liam glanced back up and smiled before pointing at Zayn’s laptop and returning to his own paper. Smiling to himself, he put one earbud back in and returned to his paper, head bobbing along with the music.

He was in the middle of a particularly difficult paragraph when he felt a tug in his ear. Blinking, he looked down and saw Liam’s fingers idly playing with the other earbud that had fallen onto the desktop. He followed the movement of his fingers, rolling the white plastic between his thumb and forefinger. Tracing his eyes up Liam’s arm, he found Liam was staring intently at his textbook, lips silently forming words as his eyes moved along the page.

Zayn laid a hand over Liam’s, stilling the movement and drawing a gasp from Liam’s lips as he stared at their hands. Pulling the earbud from Liam’s fingers, he held it out to Liam. He tilted his head, questioning, and Zayn pointed to the one in his ear and then gestured with the free one towards Liam. With a shrug, Liam took the earbud, wiping it gently with is shirt sleeve, smiling when Zayn scoffed. Placing it in his ear, he smiled at the sound of Drake playing, nodding approvingly at Zayn before returning to his text.

Zayn closed his text; his brain was done with homework for the night. He glanced at the clock and noticed he’d been at the library for several hours already. He would have to be leaving soon if he was going to be able to grab a bite to eat and still catch the bus home. Sliding his book into his bag before pulling out his drawing tablet. He inserted the dongle key into the side of his laptop and opened his drawing program. Checking his email, he saw an order for a custom piece through his Tumblr. He’d been getting pretty steady orders and the money was great, keeping him from having to get the type of job that involved a lot of needless interaction.

He searched the internet for a piece to use as inspiration and then began doing a quick sketch of the first of the pair that had been requested for the drawing. He got a lot of requests for a popular non-canon couple from a supernatural themed television show and because he didn’t judge the people who liked them, he got even more requests. As long as the money kept coming in, he didn’t really care what he drew. Although secretly, he shipped the couple as well.

He was nearly done with the basic outline when the sound in the earbud changed to a loud blaring siren. He choked back a laugh when Liam ripped the earbud out of his ear and tossed it at Zayn, rubbing his ear and looking offended. Zayn pressed the home key on his phone to stop the alarm. “Gotta go,” he told Liam as he began packing up his stuff.

Liam glanced at the large watch on his wrist and nodded. He stood and slid his books into his bag quickly before shouldering it. Zayn zipped his bag and stood, surprised to see Liam still standing there, much like he had been when he’d first spotted him. They fell into step together until they reached the stairway. Zayn took a deep breath before grasping the railing and looking straight ahead. He carefully slid his foot to the end of the floor and down to the first step before bringing his other foot beside the first. Moving his hand down the railing, he began to repeat the movement, stopping when he felt Liam’s hand on his shoulder.

A small smile curved Liam’s lips as he moved to stand in front of Zayn. He carefully peeled Zayn’s death grip from the railing and placed it on his shoulder, keeping his own over top of it. After a moment, Zayn squeezed and allowed Liam to slowly lead him down the stairs as he stared at the line of slightly pinked skin where the shaved bits of Liam’s hair met the curly mess that stood like a bit of a mohawk atop his head.

Zayn realized he hadn’t even counted the steps when he found himself falling into Liam’s back. They both chuckled as Liam released the hand on his shoulder. Walking side by side, they reached the doors and Zayn turned right, planning to grab a quick bite at the sandwich shop between the library and bus stop. He was only a steps when he realized Liam was still with him. “Bus?” Liam asked. Zayn nodded but pointed to the shop that was only a few doors down and rubbed his tummy, smiling.

Liam pursed his lips into a thoughtful pout and nodded, grabbing the door handle when they reached it and holding the door for Zayn before following him inside. They blinked against the brightness inside, the smell of freshly baked bread overwhelming their senses. Liam glanced at the menu behind the counter when the door to the back opened and a small elderly woman exited. “Zayn!” she squealed, hurrying around the counter and pulling the boy into her arms. Zayn shook his head, hugging the woman he called Nana Stone and laughing. “Your usual, yeah?” Zayn nodded into her shoulder before letting go and it was then that she noticed Liam. “Oh, who’s this?”

“I’m Liam, a classmate of Zayn’s,” he said, holding a hand out and gasping when the woman used it to pull him into a hug.

“Welcome, Liam,” she told him. “I am Nana Stone. What would you like?” She pointed at the menu. “On the house for your first visit.” Liam opened his mouth to argue, shutting it when Nana gave him a cold stare.

“Thank you, ma’am. I”d like to try the Chicken Tiki Masala wrap, please.”

“Oh!”: Nana exclaimed, a hand covering her mouth as she looked between the two of them. “Oh,” she repeated more quietly as she moved her hand to wave it in front of her rapidly blinking eyes. “It’ll just be a minute, boys.”

When she’d disappeared into the back, Liam turned to Zayn with wide eyes. Zayn was already sitting sideways in a booth, back against the window and legs stretched across the bench and crossed at the ankles. He pointed to the other bench and waited for Liam to sit down. “Did I do something wrong?” Liam whispered.

Zayn shook his head, smiling quietly as he reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, sliding it across the table to Liam who lifted it up and studied the picture of Zayn and his family on the home screen. “I don’t-”

“Can I have your number?” Zayn asked, his voice quiet and shy. Smiling and ducking his head, Liam quickly entered his number before sliding the phone back. Zayn picked it up and fiddled with it before sliding it back into his pocket.

Liam jumped a bit and dug into his own pocket to pull out his phone, smiling as he read the text Zayn had sent him. _You ordered my usual. Now you have my number._ He gave Zayn a shy smile before glancing around, his fingers tapping against the counter and Zayn could tell he was trying really hard to stay quiet instead of babbling. He appreciated the effort and although he knew he was comfortable with the silence, he could tell Liam wasn’t.

“How is your paper coming?” Zayn asked.

“Good, good,” Liam said, nodding his head rapidly.

“Liar,” Zayn teased, smiling even wider when Liam’s face lit up pink.

“I’m really bad at papers. That’s why I tried starting so early, but I can never figure out what I’m doing and they always end up a mess. The teachers at my old school called me disorganized, when they were being nice,” Liam told him, biting his lip after he’d rushed through the sentence.

“And when they weren’t being nice?” Zayn questioned, fearing the answer.

“Stupid. Mentally deficient.” Liam’s hands dropped to his lap and he looked down at them as the door to the back opened and Nana came through with a tray and their sandwiches. She’d also included a plate of chips and a pitcher of soda.

“I hope that regular cola is alright with you, Liam. This one usually drinks water, but sometimes I can sugar him up.” She gave Zayn a teasing smile.

“Thank you, Nana,” Liam said, still looking at his hands and Nana gave Zayn a concerned look.

“He’ll be alright, Nana,” Zayn promised, smiling when Nana’s eyes teared up again. It wasn’t like she’d never heard him speak, but she appreciated how rare it was, even with her.

She excused herself and Zayn pushed Liam’s plate closer. “You’re not stupid or mentally deficient or any other evil thing those terrible teachers said,” he assured him.

“You don’t know me,” Liam argued but reached out to pick up his wrap and took a bite, closing his eyes and moaning with pleasure.

“I know enough.” Zayn bit into his sandwich, enjoying the flavour that burst across his tongue, although not nearly as much as he was enjoying watching Liam devour his sandwich. “Hungry?”

Liam nodded. “Had rugby practice after school and then went straight to the library from there. Never knew this place was here, but I’ll definitely be back.”

“I come every time I go to the library,” Zayn told him. “Probably have more dinners with Nana than my own family. It’s quieter here, especially this time of night.” They watched as Nana came from the back and moved to lock the door before going behind the counter and starting to sweep. “She’ll let us out when we’re ready to go. So, rugby?”

Liam smiled. “Yeah, it’s about the only thing I think I’m good at and my parents figure I’ll be forced to keep my grades up to play, but I still struggle.”

“Means that much to you to play?” Zayn thought about his art, how upset he would feel if someone told him he couldn’t do the one thing he loved more than anything in this world, barring his own family.

Liam chewed and swallowed the large bite he had taken, his expression thoughtful and Zayn admired the way he seemed to always choose his words when asked a direct question. “I love playing. The feeling of victory, even when the team loses, it still feels really good to know I’ve played my best.”

“A strong sense of accomplishment.” He nodded as he folded up his napkin and started straightening up the table, smiling as Liam moved his plate on top of Zayn’s. “I get that way when I finish a drawing.” He wanted to smack himself, he didn’t normally talk about his art with anyone other than his art teacher and even that was rare.

Liam grabbed the tray of dirty dishes and carried it to the counter, smiling at Nana. He looked sheepish when he returned. “I might’ve peeked at what you were drawing earlier. It was pretty sick.”

Zayn touched his own cheek, relieved the flush he felt wouldn’t be obvious to Liam. “That was just a sketch. I’ll show you when it’s done though, yeah?”

Liam nodded as Nana came around the counter and hugged both of them, telling them that they were both expected to return soon. Zayn tried to hand her the money his mum had given him, but she shook her head, waving it off like she always did, but as soon as she turned her back to unlock the door, he slid the notes into the side pocket of her apron. Liam opened his mouth to speak, but Zayn just held a finger to his own lips and winked at Liam.

They were out the door and she was closing it when she shook her head at Zayn. “Don’t think I didn’t feel that, young man. Next time, you don’t pay or I call your mother!”

Zayn shrugged at Liam as the door was locked behind them and the lights went out on the outside of the building, leaving them in a deeper darkness broken only by the street lamps and the occasional passing car. Zayn glanced up as a bus rumbled past and cursed when he realized it was his bus.

He pulled his phone out, ready to call his mum when Liam cleared his throat. He looked up and Liam was dangling a set of keys with a smile on his face. Nodding, Zayn put his phone away and walked along with Liam towards the car park for the library. Once they were settled into the vehicle, Zayn opened his mouth to give Liam instructions, but Liam was already queuing up the GPS on his phone and handing it to Zayn.

“I don’t mind talking,” Zayn finally said after they were on the road, the radio playing very quietly and the quiet only interrupted occasionally by the GPS

Liam nodded, his eyes on the road. “I know, but I don’t want to push you to talk when it’s not completely necessary.” He turned when the GPS instructed and continued down the street.

“Thank you,” Zayn said, feeling his face flushing again. “People are usually uncomfortable with silence, so they talk just to fill it.” Liam smiled. “Then the person who isn’t talking is so worried about keeping the talking going that instead of listening to what someone is saying, they are already thinking about what they are going to say next.”

Liam hummed as he pulled up in front of Zayn’s house. “I never really thought about it that way,” he admitted. “I know I sometimes over think what I’m going to say because I don’t want people to laugh at me for being stupid.” He put the car in park and turned to face Zayn. “I never realized it meant I was missing what the other person was saying. I’m sorry if I’ve managed to do that with you tonight.”

“Not even a little.” The outside light on Zayn’s home lit up. “That means I should be going. Mum will probably be worried. Thanks, again.” He let himself out of the car and walked to the door, jumping when he heard Liam honk the horn.

“Sorry,” Liam called. “I’ll see you in class, yeah?”

Zayn nodded, suddenly remembering something. “I can help you with your paper. If you want.”

Liam’s smile was bright. “Wait for me to finish rugby tomorrow and we’ll go to the library?”

“Dinner at Nana’s after?” Zayn asked.

“It’s a date!” Liam called before rolling up his window when Zayn’s mum opened the door. He honked again as he drove away, bringing a smile to Zayn’s face.

“Who was that?” his mum asked.

“A friend,” Zayn told her, smiling as she hugged him.

“I’m glad,” she told him, pushing him towards the stairs. “Now, you’re home late, so off to bed with you. It’s a school night.”

Kissing his mum on the cheek, he smiled to himself as he headed up the stairs, pausing outside his oldest sister’s room. He tapped on the door, smiling when she turned in her desk chair to see him. “Going to bed?” Zayn nodded. “Sorry, if we were too noisy earlier and drove you out.”

Zayn shrugged and walked into the room, pulling his sister into a hug. “Thank you for that,” he whispered into her hair. “Good night.” He chuckled as she tried to pull him back into the hug.

He managed to escape her grasp, running into his room and closing the door just before she caught him. Falling back onto his bed, he looked up at the ceiling, just breathing and remembering the evening. The small things Liam did to make Zayn feel comfortable, the kindness he had shown, the thoughtfulness. He could feel the smile on his face growing at each thought.

Once he was through the events of the evening and focusing on Liam’s parting words, he felt a bit of panic rising in his chest, his smile disappearing even more quickly than it had formed. Did Liam mean it was actually a date or was he just being casual and funny? He could feel himself over thinking as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he smiled when he saw a text from Liam.

 _“This song made me think of you.”_ Zayn played the attached file, recognizing the song and the lyrics really hitting home. Suddenly, it didn’t matter if Liam thought tomorrow was an actual date or not; the important thing was that Liam understood Zayn and that’s all he had ever really wanted.

As Zayn got ready for bed, he put the song on repeat, listening until the lyrics were stuck in his head. He fell asleep to the music, smiling as it lulled him into his dreams:

_And in the naked light, I saw_

_Ten thousand people, maybe more_

_People talking without speaking_

_People hearing without listening_

_People writing songs that voices never share_

_No one dare_

_Disturb the sound of silence_

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to come talk to me on Twitter or tumblr. I really love meeting new people!


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